Early-access programmes for DNA storage are open, yet retrieving stored DNA takes minutes, so forget replacing fast memory | Daily Reports Online
- One AtlasBase DNA capsule could eventually hold as much as 50 PB
- One cartridge holds 100 capsules, giving between 100 TB and 5 EB
- Stored DNA can last more than 1,000 years without electricity or cooling
AtlasBase is developing DNA storage hardware that could eventually place as much as 50 PB of digital information inside a small capsule by encoding data in synthetic DNA.
The company’s Thalia platform combines conventional semiconductor controls with biochemical processes to convert digital information into combinations of four DNA bases and write the resulting sequences at very high density.
AtlasBase says its latest chip contains 5.6 billion reaction sites, representing a 700-fold increase over earlier DNA synthesis technology, with the silicon platform chemically producing the encoded DNA sequences.
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A tiny capsule could hold huge amounts of data
The chip uses a 16nm CMOS layer beneath a separate biological section, allowing electrical controls to direct reactions across millions of tiny sites.
Each site contains components that enable chemical reactions, with electrical pulses determining which DNA base is added during each synthesis cycle.
The resulting synthetic DNA strands can then be dried and sealed inside metal capsules, which are designed to fit into storage cartridges.
AtlasBase says a capsule can initially contain between 1 TB and 50 PB, while its cartridge design accommodates 100 capsules.
That would create a potential capacity ranging from 100 TB to 5 EB within one cartridge-sized storage footprint for archival storage.
The company also says its molecular medium can remain usable for more than 1,000 years without continuous electricity, cooling or mechanical movement.
“For 2 billion years, DNA has flourished as nature’s data platform, an incredibly capable structure for processing the information that defines every living thing,” said Jeff Treuhaft, CEO of AtlasBase.
“We’re now harnessing that same architecture for computing at a scale that was never before possible.”
The storage proposition therefore centres on long-term preservation rather than replacing high-speed systems.
Molecular computing adds another layer
AtlasBase is also developing ways to perform selected calculations directly with DNA molecules instead of repeatedly transferring data between storage and processors.
The approach uses chemical reactions to examine many possible combinations simultaneously, making it potentially useful for optimization problems involving enormous numbers of possible outcomes.
One example involves scheduling flights, where numerous combinations of aircraft, routes and available times must satisfy several constraints simultaneously.
AtlasBase says its system can examine thousands or millions of candidate combinations concurrently, although accessing stored material still requires preparation and sequencing.
Retrieving previously stored material for computation can take minutes, while the final processing time depends on the complexity of the application.
That timing makes the technology fundamentally different from conventional processors, where calculations can occur far faster once relevant data reaches memory.
AtlasBase has already begun offering early-access programmes covering molecular storage and computing to selected organizations and technology users.
The company says potential applications include archives, records preservation, transport planning, industrial operations, financial work, scientific studies and resource analysis.
However, the technology still lacks the operating history and commercial deployment evidence needed to establish how it compares with established archival systems.
Via Blocksandfiles
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